1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for dissipating and discharging electrical charges from bodies which cannot be connected to ground directly. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a non-metallic apparatus for dissipating and discharging electrical charges, such as static electricity or charges caused by electrical overstress or lightning, from an aircraft.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, sophisticated electronic equipment has found more and more uses on a wide variety of devices. For example, sophisticated aircraft and motorized vehicles are nearly completely reliant on electronic equipment provided therein. Further, some aircraft and motorized vehicles serve as convenient containers for electronic devices which perform a wide variety of functions not related to the operation of the vehicle. However, the very advances which have enabled the inclusion of sophisticated electronic equipment onto such vehicles has rendered such electronic equipment quite susceptible to breakdown or failure due to electrostatic and other undesired electrical charges. Such a failure or breakdown can be catastrophic on certain vehicles, such as aircraft.
Aircraft are especially susceptible to the build-up of electrostatic charge, lightning strikes and electrical overstress. Technological advances have permitted aircraft to fly at any time day or night and in all kinds of weather. However, the communication, radar, navigation and control systems which have revolutionized flying are easily affected by undesired electric charges. Various weather conditions can cause radio frequency interference, electromagnetic interference, and electromagnetic pulses, which can degrade or reduce the effectiveness of the systems. Lightning strikes can be especially devastating. Accordingly, dissipation and discharge of undesired electrical charges are major concerns in the aircraft industry.
In this regard, conductive wicks have been developed for discharging accumulated electrostatic charge from aircraft. These wicks are designed so that charge flows from the moving body into the wick and is discharged therefrom. However, the wicks presently in use have a number of drawbacks. These wicks act as independent circuits, requiring a relatively high level of charge to build up in the moving body before discharge is initiated therethrough. To reduce the charge level necessary to initiate discharge, wicks have become part of more complex discharge systems which include specialized circuitry for initiating discharge. This results in more complex wicks, which are more expensive to produce and more prone to failure.